Apparatus for telephone-switchboards



' UNIT-E15, f

PATENT OFFICE."

vFRANK R. MoBERrY, OE DowNERs GROVE, ILLINOIs, AssIeNoR To TI-IE wEsrERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OE CHICAGO, ILLINoIs.

APPARATUS FORTELEPHV'ON E-"swlTcHBoARDs y.'

SPECIFICATION forming part ofr Letter; rticent No. 567,404, 'daten= septembervs, i896.

Apllnmion nea January 24, resa.

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern.'

` Be it known thatil, FRANK R. MCBERTY, a vcitizen of the United States, residing at Downers Grove, in the county of Du Page 5 and State ofIllinois, have invented a'certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Telephone'- Switchboards, (Case No. 34,)

of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being Io had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention applies to the plan of switching telephone-lines in exchangeskknown as the call-distributing system. lt is an arrangement of signals for facilitating the work of theattendants and securing an increased efficiency of operation.

In the calldistributing system all subscribersV initial call-signals are noted by an operator denominated the distributing-'Oprator, by whom they are distributed among several other operators, who receive the sub- Scribersorders and make the required connections, 'the latter class being named answering-operators, the design being that the work of making the connections may be equally divided among the several switchingoperators.

My invention consists in asystem ofsignals under theY Observation of the distributing-operator and controlled by the answeringoperator, by whichthe latter may signalize to the former her readiness to answer calls, whereby the distributing-operator may be kept informed as to the busy or idlecondition of the answering-operators, and may be able to so assign calls to each operator as to keep Vall uniformly busy. These signals may preferably be operated by the answering-operator automatically or incidentally in the performance of some manual act in the processof receiving orders or making connections. In a satisfactory embodiment of the invention the signaling instrument is associated with the terminal plug of a trunk-line leading from the.distributng-operator to an answering-operator, and is operated by thelistening-key of the answering-operator in theact of connecting her telephone with the trunk-linel in 5o position to receiveforders. The displayof av serai No. 576,681. (No man.)v

I v*signal then indicates to the distributing-oper.-

ator that the answering-operator attending the corresponding trunk-line has her tele- Y phone connected with that line and is free to receive orders. She will therefore connect 5 5 the terminal plug with the line of the next subscriber calling, after which the answeringoperator will obtain the subscribers order for the connection required, and will perform the necessary acts to establish communication as 6o demanded. The first movement o'f the answering-operator may cause the eifacement of the signal before the distributing-operator, so that the disappearance of this signalwill inform the latter operator that the call has'received 65 attention. This form of the invention is shown in the attached drawing. The drawing represents diagrammatic-ally,three telephone-lines extending from substations to the central station, connected at the central station, each 7o with a connection-socket and a signaling instrument at an annunciatOr-board, and with several connection-sockets ondiiferent sections of a multiple switchboard. vThe necessary trunk-lines between the distributing-op- 7 5 erator and the different answering-operators, together with the signaling apparatus which constitutes the subject of this application, are also shown.

Since the equipment and connections of 8o the different lines are alike, it will be sufficient to trace and describe only one of the lines.

The line'l 2 may terminate at its substation Ain any usual telephonie. and calling apparatus. At the central station the line .has its two conductors connected with the different line contacts of a terminal'socket or spring-jack @,andwith an annunciator or other signaling instrument a, which are lo- 9o cated in the annunciatOr-board e before the distributing-operator, and with other connection-sockets or spring-jacks aj?, d3, and c* in different sections f, g', and h of armultiple switchboard of ordinary type. From the annunciator-board c a trunk-line extends to each section of the multiple switchboard, that to board f being numbered 3 4. This trunk-,line terminates at each extremity in a plug, the Yplugs being designated and ji,re- Ioo spectively. The apparatus thus far described is well known in the art and constitutes no part of my invention.

The obvious design is that all call-signals shall be received by the operator at board e, and that each calling-line may be extended by her through the medium of one of the trunk-lines to any desired operator at the multiple switchboard, so that the work of answering calling subscribers and completing connections may be uniformly divided among the answering-operators.

Each answering-operator is furnished with the usual telephone 7c, whose connection with the trunk-lines is controlled through a listening-key l. By means of this key she may connect her telephone with any trunk-line which has been or is to be united with the line of la calling 'subscriber at the annunciator-board for the purpose of receiving the subscribiens order. l

'provide in connection withthe trunkline local signaling-circuit V5, which includes a signal 'instru m'e'1`1t` as a lamp m, before the distributing-operator, and is controlled by a sui able switchl U maiiipul'ate'd by the answering operator. `This switch consists in a l pringjl and its anvil Z2, placed onthe liste iig-key VZ, so that they may be closed tovwheiiy the listeningk'ey is brought into po tion to connect the telepllOn'e 7c with the 'l' lne. y Means 'are provided also for extinguishing the lamp m fat the proper time. thispurp'ose the circuit ,is 'continued through the switch contacts of a plug-seat 'switch 'n for the plug t', the lswitch being adapted 'to 'open the circuit when the plug is reiuovedfroinits socket.` A source of current 0 is vincluded in the'signaling-circuit.

It will be understood that the distributingoperator is providedwith a number of trunklines to each answeringoperator, each equipped with such a scheme 'of signals as here described a's applied to 'circuit 3 4.

rlPhe operation of the signals is as follows: When an answering-operator, having performed all the work at hand, is ready to 'make further connections, she will depress 'the plunger of her listening-key l, whereby her telephone will be brought into circuit with the trunk-line, and whereby Vat the same time the signalingcircuit 5 will be'closed Aat the switch contacts l 'Z2 vand the 'lamp m will be lighted. The illumination of this lamp will be a signal to thefdistributi11g-operator that the operator attending tothe twink-line 3 4, with which this sig l al is associated7 is in position to receive 4calls, and she will insert 'the terminal plngfiof this trun'krlin'e into the socket ofthe subscriber who neXt ica-lis, The subscriber will thus be placed in telephoniecommunication with the answering-operator at vsection'f of the multiple board, This operator will receivefhis order, and 'while doing this will raise the .pl-ug t to vmake the required connection. rlfhe "act Aof 'raising the plug'will interrupt the signaling-circuits at the switch contacts of the plug-switch n, so that the lamp m before the distributing-operator will be extinguished. The obscuring of the lamp will signalize to the latter operator thatthe call has received attention.

Any usual mode of transmitting signals for disconnection may be adopted, and for notifying the distributing-operator that the completed connection may be removed.

The particular means employed by the answering-operator to cause the display of the signal m may be varied without departing from the essence of my invention; also other appliances may be used for causing the disappearance of the signal before the distributing-operator.

I claim as newl. The combination with an annunciatorboard in which are located the annunciators and terminal sockets of a number of telephone lines, ranswering boards in each of which 'are located terminal spring-jacks of said lines, and trunk-lines from the annunciator-board tothe different answering-boards, of `a signaljat Athe 'annunciator-board for each answering-board, Aand means forexciting each of said signals, controlledfat the corresponding answering-board, substantially as vdescribed. y

2. The 'combination with an annunc-i'atorboard wherein are located the annunciato'rs and terminal sockets 4of a number of telephone-lines7 answering-boards whereon are located terminal spring-jacks vof veach of said lines, and trunk-lines from ythe annunciatorboard to the different answering-boards, of a switch at the answering-board for each trunkline actuated by the answering-operator preliminary to making a connection, and a signaling-'circuit from each answering-board including'a signal at the distrib uting-board-,said circuit being controlledl by the said switch at the answering-board, whereby the readiness of van 'answering-operator to receive calls is signaled to the distributing-operator, as described.

3. The combination with yan annunciatorboard wherein are located the v`anmin'ciators and terminal sockets of a number of telephone-lines,answering-boards'whereonarelocated terminal `spring jacks of each vof said lines, and trunk-lines'from the annunciat'orboard to the vdiiferent answering-boardsfof an operators telephone at each answeringboard, av listening-key for Aeach trunk-line adapted to connect the said telephone with the trunk-line, anda signaling-'circuit includingasignal "at the annunciator-board, cont'rolledrby switchicontacts on the listeningkey7 substantially las described.

4. The combination with a switching system comprising an annunciator-b'oard on which are located an annunciato'r and a socket for each line, a vnumber of answering-boards on each of which are located sockets f or different lines, and a vtrunk-line from the annunciator-boardw to each answering-board, 'of

IOC

IIO

a signaling-circuit associated With each trunkline and including a sign al at the annunciatorboard, and a switch controlling the continuity of said signaling-circuit at the answeringboard, and switch-contacts adapted to close the signaling-circuit when the telephone is brought into circuit with the trunk-line, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a switching system comprising an annunciator-board Whereon are located an annunciator and terminal socket for each line, answering-boards on each of Which are located terminal sockets for the lines, and trunk-lines Vfrom the annunciatorboard to the different answering-boards, of a signaling-circuit associated With each trunkline including` a signal at the annunciatorboard, an operators telephone-switch for each trunk-line at the answering-board, switchcontacts adapted to close the signaling-circuit corresponding to anytrunk-line when the telephone is brought into circuit with the said trunk-line, and a switch for each trunk-line at the answering-board operated in making connection With the subscribers line, adapted to efface the corresponding signal, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 21st day of November, A. D. 1895.

FRANK R. MOBERTY.' Witnesses:

ELLA EDLER, A MYRTA F. GREEN. 

